New York Noodles: King Noodle

Wavy noodles with nori, pickled ginger, shrimp, and roasted pork are a highlight.

If you're at the level of noodle fanaticism that I am, you probably experience a similar level of excitement/anxiety when deciding what type of noodle to order: rice or wheat? Curly or flat? Thin or thick? King Noodle, a colorful, ecclectic noodle join in industrial Bushwick may not help you resolve these issues, but know that whatever noodle you opt for, you can't go wrong.

King Noodle, matching its colorful graffiti-style muraled walls and bright neon menus, serves innovative, pan-Asian, Brooklyn-inspired noodle dishes. Noodles are sourced locally from Chinatown in Sunset Park and Sun Noodle in New Jersey, in order to get the best of each variety. In addition to the standard menu, the chef also cooks up a variety of daily specials, based on seasonal ingredients, and advertised on Tokyo-style chalkboards. Rice noodles with lamb and yellow curry, a frequent winter special, were so popular with King Noodle fans, that the dish is bound for the regular menu. Daily specials also include vegetables like peashoots and seafood dishes, excellent additions to noodle entrees.

Tables at King Noodle are set with individual bowls and chopsticks, easily allowing a plethora of dishes to be shared amoung the indecisive. To start, Cold Sesame Noodles ($10) take form in a platter of thick, long noodles doused in a peanut-sesame sauce and topped with sauteed mushrooms and black sesame seeds. They're much more flavorful than your standard takeout Chinese fare, and the mushrooms add a nice meaty texture to the noodle dish.

One of the most popular dishes at King Noodles is the Wavy Noodles with Pork and Shrimps ($15). Made with ramen noodles from Sun Noodle (also found in New York Noodles favorites like Baoburg's duck ramen), these noodles are stir-fried with a sweet, housemade sauce, and decorated with slivers of pickled ginger and nori, making this noodle dish hint of sushi, as you twirl your chopsticks around noodles and plump shrimp. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will enjoy Green Curry Flat Noodles with Bamboo ($13), another popular menu item that packs the heat and creatively combines traditional Asian cuisines.

To chase down your spicy noodles, enjoy a fruity cocktail ($10), or opt for the Scorpion Bowl ($22), served flaming in a colorful ceramic goblet, easily sharable among many.

With graffitied walls, rap music, ecclectic Asian cuisine, and tiki drinks, King Noodle, which opened last July, may not know exactly what it is, but what it does is great. Visit late at night for dance parties, a $16 lunch box, and a constant flow of good noodles and good vibes.